


Neither Here Nor There

by ChingKittyCat



Series: PSMD Rewritten [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Conversations, Gen, I haven't played PSMD in years but I still remember at least most of it's plot.. maybe, Late Night Conversations, Mental Health Issues, Pre-Canon, Pre-Suicide Mission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:01:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27949490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChingKittyCat/pseuds/ChingKittyCat
Summary: The night is long and cold atop the Tree of Life.Nuzleaf cannot sleep, and Dark Matter has no need.Nuzleaf feels like some stimulating conversation would be something to help pass the time.
Series: PSMD Rewritten [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2057577
Kudos: 8





	Neither Here Nor There

“How much time do ya think we’ll all be havin’ left?”

Nuzleaf tucked his legs in, pulling his arms across the shins. He hadn’t taken his eyes off the stars for quite some time now. He’d preferred it to any other sight around him. He couldn’t relax when others were sleeping in his line of sight. It just jumped up his adrenaline until the morning sun rose.

“YoU WILL ALl dISapPeaR iN A mATTEr Of tImE. ArE You ImPAtIenT FoR ThE end? no maTter HOw mUCH yoU ASK THis Of Me, it wiLl not COmE anY fASTER thE MoRE yOU pester Me. YOU ALREady kNOw THe AnswER.”

Dark Matter’s voice had taken some getting used to, he had to admit. First it had struck fear into his veins and violent madness into his head, but now all it delivered was a somber, numb relief. It had lost most of its potent venom present when he had first met them, which had helped too.

Through their desperation for destruction, they had struck a mutual cord with him. It was too much to get into, and he didn’t want to dwell on it too much tonight. Well, he didn’t want to, but he did anyways.

“I just thought it’d be faster. Are ya gettin’ any stronger?”

“My PowER iS lInEAr, NOt ExpONENTiAL. i aM havInG a HArdeR TiME GaRNerinG poWER now Than I HAVe hAd bEForE. Ever SiNce The BitTERcold wAs dESTRoYED, iT... It DoeS not mATTer. This Planet's DeSTrUctIon Is GUaRANTEeD.”

So long as everything went according to plan, anyways. They still needed to find that brat and memory wipe them, but who knows when luck would go their way? The tides of destruction that was their little group seemed to be pushing against a world too kind and pleasant to budge. Like a huge rock in constant, crashing waves, deeply rooted into the sand. 

The world was kind now. _Now_. Of course it would be now, when all was said and done. Where had that been when- oh he’s just making himself mad again. He’ll never have a proper conversation if he was mad. Dark Matter was too testy for him to be angry around.

“Did you know ‘em?”

“WHat?”

“The Bittercold. I heard that they were an alien being, made out of negativity just like you.” 

Nuzleaf knew it wasn’t much of a stretch to believe that they were related in some way. He even thought they were the same being for a while. Far too many coincidences in the design and the general goal.

“it- thEY ARe Not of any CoNCErn aNYmOrE. THEY WiLL Be oF no uSe tO us In OUr CUrrent goal. I knEW tHeM, ANd nothINg MORE. I WIll anSWEr NOtHing else ON thIS TOpIc.”

It wasn’t particularly interesting anyways, Nuzleaf thought. Like, he didn’t really care, he was mostly talking for talking’s sake. 

Perhaps that’s why Dark Matter favored him, and why they wanted him to be that brat’s fake parent. It was a good idea, he was sure. He wouldn’t get attached to the kid if he could care less. Just to make sure, talk to them as little as possible, let them run all over the town they picked unsupervised, all that other good stuff.

Nuzleaf sighed. He felt Dark Matter rumble under him the same way an electrical ‘mon would. Like some vibrating hum that shook Nuzleaf with it because of how large they were.

“I just think it’s interestin’ is all,” Nuzleaf said, “can ya blame me for bein’ curious. I don’t know how common non-mon’s are, but I ain’t met one before I met ya. And I’m not too sure that the Bittercold ever had much to say to no one.” 

Dark Matter decided to not respond. Guess the conversation was now officially his to do anything he wanted with.

“I heard of an alien ‘mon who is up in the sky, fightin’ with Rayquaza all day long. But even then, they still look like one of us, from all the drawings the flying types who see ‘em make of ‘em. But you’re real alien. Have ya ever been in the stars?”

“yEs.”

“What did it feel like?”

“ThErE IS NotHing In tHE 'stARS' ThAT You WOULD be AblE to FEEl. SPAce is a VaSTNEsS Of noThING yOU cOUld not COMPreheNd, aNd ThAT I do NoT Know HOW To EXPlaIn tO SOmEoNE lIkE You. tHe MecHaNiSMs AND will OF ThE uNiVErsE aRE BEyOnd what MOrtalS ARE meANt TO knOw.”

“Are the stars alive?”

“...YeS. SoMe.”

Nuzleaf closed his eyes, breathing in slowly and deeply. If he were a scientific man.. Oh, if only. Sure, it was nice to be told these things, but.. It kind of just slid off of him. 

“Can I ask somethin’ personal?”

“YoU alReAdY… yeS.”

“Do ya know what it feels like when ya disappear?”

Through the gaping holes in Dark Matter’s net-like outer shell, he faintly saw the gleam of their core brighten, then fade back to normal as the two sat in silence. 

“Sorry. Are you uncomfortable?” Nuzleaf wondered, sounding a little too flat.

“i am Not a beiNg. I DO NOT FeEL anD TheReFore I canNOt FEel uNcOmFORtaBle. I aM a FoRCE OF NAtURE; noN-ofFENDaBle.”

A quick bout of silence held for a moment too long. The glow brightened and faded again.

“I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.” 

Nuzleaf loosened his sort of curled sitting position as he dropped one of his legs shallowly into the hole of the outer shield. Nuzleaf was too short to reach the core with just his leg anyways, but he felt some restraint would be nice.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” He continued.

“No. I wILL TELL yoU. YoU sEek yoUR own deSTrucTion, it is ONlY naTURAL to WaNT tO kNOw tHE SpeCifIcs. The End FeelS Like a CoUSIN To sLeep, DiFfErEnT iN a wAY tHat YOU Can OnlY knoW bY expEriENCIng bOth of tHeM. so LonG as You Are On THE trEe by tHe plAn's finIsh, YoUr End WILl Be PaiNLEss.”

“I wouldn’t want to burn up in the atmosphere, you said that could happen if I’m on the tree during the ascent.”

It was surreal to talk about the very tree they all slept on tonight flying through the air so long from now, but.. Well, it had its novelty, Nuzleaf had to admit.

“Jumping would be..”

“LIKe FLYInG.”

“Better than burning alive in the heat, though.”

An awkward silence. Nuzleaf swung his dangling leg slightly as the cold, fresh air blew against his face. It rustled the Tree of Life’s vibrant, rainbow leaves. 

“ARE you sUre THiS IS wHat yOu WaNT? YOUr ASsIStance MeANs yOuR pLaNeT'S dEmISE. It Will MeAn yOuR DEMiSe.”

“How long’s it gon’ take before you trust me?” Nuzleaf quietly cracked his neck. “I’m not out to get ya. Some people just want to help others, is all.”

“No, ThaT'S- I aM nOT A moRTaL wHO IS siMpLY iN NeEd OF 'helP'. You know wHAT thIs iS. YOu KNOW WHat's TO HAPPEn, I JUsT dON't bElIeve aNY MoRTAL WOUlD WisH ThiS.”

Nuzleaf looked towards Yvetal and the Beeheyems as Dark Matter talked, making sure they were asleep. They were still sound asleep, much like they were earlier in the night. Nuzleaf relaxed, leaning back against the spike that had been keeping him sat up.

“Did ya have help before? People who’ve tried? Because we do have mutual interest, if that’s what yer worried about.” 

Dark Matter rumbled quietly.

“...i kNEW a mortal WHO wanted to ASSiSt ME iN The DEsTRUctiON OF tHe fUTuRe. He CHANGEd. noT oF hIS OWN vOLITion, bUT He chAnGEd ANYwaYs.”

“What happened?”

“hE WAs defeaTeD, thEN triED To ESCape. He was RewarDeD By HaVINg hIS MeMorIes, All of tHEM, dEstROYed. It hAS beEn yeaRS SINcE THen, and he BeCAME a new persON.”

“Well, he did help you. He just got messed up, is all. Why’s it such a stretch that someone would wanna help ya?”

“He lIeD To mE. bEcaUsE THougH thE FuTURE hAd bEen RuINED iN our pLAn, moRTaLS STILL LIved. he wAntED OThERs aLIVe IN mISERY. TO kNoW hoW AwFul tHEIr LIVEs weRe To BE on A PLAnET ruINEd bUT nOT UnLIvaBLE. To neVer knOW a SUnriSe, YeT StIll LIvE? IT WaS UnaccEPTaBLe. HE haD SIMPLy waNted a FuTurE tO PLAy wiTh. NOT onE THat Did nOt exIST.”

“Oh, that’s tough. Awful sorry.”

It was too grand in scope for Nuzleaf to relate to. Heck, it was too much to really even pinpoint how he could scale that down to be more understandable for a more ‘simple’ man like himself. Sure, betrayal, lying, but of that nature?

“Sounds like he lead ya on. World’s full of liars and cheats like that. I’d never lie to ya like that, though.”

“TherE is nothiNG tO bE soRrY foR. i FEEL notHIng foR It.”

“But apparently you’re still just fine lying to me.”

“WHaT?”

“You can’t have me believe that you go on about this ‘mon who betrayed ya and feel ‘nothing’ for it. It hurt ya enough to not trust me now.”

“YOU ARe loOKINg FoR SoMEtHinG thaT dOeS nOT exIST. I caNNOt Be Hurt, I am ABOVe tHe MOrtaL cONCEpT oF hUrT. sUspiCiOn IS ONLY nAtuRaL FOR a cReaTure LiKe Me. MY ExiSTeNCE AND purpOse goeS aGAiNST yOuRs, tHUs yoUR asSisTaNCE Is UneXpected. NOthing More.”

“You were uncomfortable before, and that was a form of hurt. In my opinion, anyhow.”

“InNCORRecT.”

“I don’t think we should talk about ya anymore. I’m sorry.”

It was obvious what Dark Matter was doing. He’d seen it in plenty of strong-faced ‘mons before. Weakness was a disease that could destroy a whole infrastructure of trust in people bent on growing stronger— especially if you were the leader of those people. 

Nuzleaf poking at that, ripping it open to expose some genuine emotional guts must’ve felt awful. He knew he wouldn’t want them doing it to him— not that they ever did because they were more focused on destroying the planet than any interpersonal relations. It left him scratching for some form of conversation here, though. He’d prefer not to talk about himself, and all the interesting parts of Dark Matter were off limits.

“WhY IS it ThAT You try TO TaLK tO mE? IS SOMeTHiNg WRoNg wITh YOu?” Dark Matter asked amidst the bout of silence, voices were a bit more mellowed out than usual.

“I just like talkin’, is all. I’d do it to the rest of our group too, talk about stuff that happened, stop if they get uncomfortable, change the topic so they feel better. It’s just in my nature.”

“WHy aRE YoU even here? CArING ABoUt thiNgs thAT SeeK deStRuCTiON is THE mOST CrUel And selFiSh thINg A morTaL cAn eVer DO.”

“Never said I was a saint or anythin’.”

Something stung in his heart as he dwelled on it. That ping that stabbed him made him crumple his face in thought about it. He didn’t think he was cruel, necessarily. He’d been nothing but nice to the people around him. Perhaps too nice to the ones who didn’t deserve it, and too unwilling to look past his haze of compassion to really give it any second thoughts.

“theN WHAt dO yOu clAIM TO be? who ArE you, if nOt soMeONe WHO hateS tHE WORLd ANd noTHING Else? HoW cAN YOu be COmpaSSIONATe YeT SO HATeFuL?”

“I don’t see it like that. I haven’t been compassionate in a long while. Doesn’t feel like it, anyhow. It just feels like I’m meant to.”

“YOu ARe CoNfUsed. tHe lOngER yOU Stay ConfUsEd aBouT OUR goal, THE MORe likeLy You are To no longer AGreE WITH it. ANy mOdICUm oF cOMpasSiON FoR othERs is UNaCCePtaBLE in tHE cOmPletIOn oF Our gOaL. OuR eNEmieS wiLl uSe IT againST US."

“Well, that’s certainly one way to say that you get scared when people care about you.” Nuzleaf scoffed.

“MY CoNceRn IS thAt yoU are A wEAK LInk IN comPArIsON tO THe ReSt. youR CONTInUiNG of tHis coNVErSAtioN aNd ThAt pREVioUs STAteMEnT mAkes IT EVIdeNT thAt yoU are THe WeAkeST.”

“How’m I supposed to measure up against a legendary who controls death?” Nuzleaf felt himself smile. “Rest of ‘em are all higher level than me, anyhoo.”

“emOtionalLY wEaK. yOu aRE TOO KinD for Your own gOOd, And iT is A flAw THAt CoulD MeAn THIS PlaNet survIvES DesTRUCtion.”

“And if it weren’t for me bein’ nice, I’m sure that brat isn’t going to trust me when I pretend to be their pa’.”

“faKE YOUr kinDNeSS. dO NOT DISPLaY it ArouND thE RESt Of Us. unLEaRn iT, Or It coULd meAn wE All FaiL.”

“Is space unkind to things like you?” Nuzleaf pondered semi-defensively. “Is that why you can’t trust kind people— because it’s too alien for you to understand?”

“tHE uNiversE... IS orderLy aNd JUst. It IS onLy action, BeAUty, anD pRoPer aND ORgAnIzeD PlANETs. thIngS FReE OF cReAtureS LIke mE, oR mOrtALs likE YOu.”

“No kindness or cruelty, then. A whole lot of nothin’. Sounds awful peaceful up there, then. Though I can’t imagine there’d be much for you to do. Explains a lot, though. Dark Matter, I ain’t gonna pretend I’m a nice person. I’m tryin’ to destroy the world with ya, so is that sleeping lot back there,” Nuzleaf jabbed a pointing thumb back at his compatriots, “none of us are good or nice people. There’s a bit’a grey area ‘round it. Yvetal’s more a crush and destroy kinda ‘mon, them Beheeyem go about it all calculated like, sayin’ that the world’s better off without ‘mons.”

“aND What arE YOu MEANT TO be?”

“I’m selfish. I ain’t got anything I want anymore. I been through an awful lot in my life, too much to tell ya in just one night. I don’t want to go through nothin’ anymore. The way ya described disappearin’.. That’s how I want to be. Nothin’. I ain’t want others to suffer the way I did neither. The world may be better for now, but it’s rotten down to the core. ‘Mons will just keep gettin’ hurt. It’s better to just get rid of it all, stop the cycle of abuse. All that there is to this world, ‘mons fightin’, ‘mons sufferin’, ‘mons gettin lost and never comin back, greed, rage, I seen it all and I know it ain’t gonna stop.”

“Is IT ALtrUiSTIc TO Want EvERyONE Gone, NuZleaf? tHIs wORlD Is Full of nEgaTiVItY And tHUS iT is MARkED FOr dESTRUctioN, Yes, bUt... i aM StIll uNcErTAIN OF yOUR MOtIVES.”

Nuzleaf shifted himself on the ‘branch’ of Dark Matter’s shell he sat on. The outer shell was warm under him, which he appreciated. The Tree of Life wasn’t particularly warm all the way up at the top, especially at night.

“If ya trust me enough to sit on top of ya and get close to ya, can ya trust me enough to do what needs to be done?”

Dark Matter’s core brightened thoughtfully. Nuzleaf knew the way that Dark Matter acted towards the others in the group far too well. The lashing out if they got too close, the violent threats… Yet Nuzleaf was allowed to touch their outermost shell, allowed to sit on top of them. 

“What was it that I said to ya when I found ya?” Nuzleaf scratched his chin with his mitt. “You got a better memory than I do.”

“YOU sAId YOU diDN'T WANt Any trOUBlE, That you waNTED tO be frIENds.”

They’d reacted horribly to that, but it was the start of a truly unique friendship, lasting all the way up until now. How long had it been since then? He wasn’t too sure, all the days blended together into a nonsensical soup known as ‘time’.

“Friendship’s a two way street. I trust ya to do what you can to throw this tree into orbit. Trust me enough to manipulate a kid, will ya?”

Besides, that snot-nosed brat had given him enough trouble as is. There is no way any sort of compassion is going to leak through just because their memories will be wiped. 

“i WIll TRUSt yOU. YoU Are JUST... DIFFERenT.”

“Good or bad?”

“IT Is inTerEsTinG, yet... I do NoT.. kNOW. GIvE ME SomE tIMe TO CONTEmpLATe This. I WiLL dEcIDE IN thE MoRniNG.”

Nuzleaf smirked. 


End file.
